It is known to use apparatuses and methods to control the discharge of material from a material control device. Conventional apparatuses and methods, however, suffer from one or more disadvantages. For example, conventional material control devices and methods use pivoting doors to control the discharge of material. As a result, the ground clearance of the material control device is undesirably reduced and the pivoting doors are undesirably susceptible to damage. Conventional material control apparatuses and methods also do not open and close the material discharge doors from the center of the door. As a result, the material discharge doors tend to undesirably bend, flex, or warp over time and the doors undesirably fail to fully close and smoothly move between the open and closed positions. Further, conventional material control devices and methods are manually operated. As a result, the operator is required to adjust the material discharge doors while also controlling other functions such as steering a paver and controlling the speed of the paver. The manually-operated material discharge doors are also undesirably susceptible to human error. Still further, conventional material control devices and methods do not automatically control, adjust, or meter the rate of discharge of material. In addition, conventional material control devices and methods are not adapted to be opened and closed at any time and they undesirably compact or pinch the material to be discharged when the pivoting door is closed. Conventional material control devices and methods are also undesirably slow and unresponsive and undesirably expose their actuators to the material to be discharged.
It would be desirable, therefore, if an apparatus and method for a material control device could be provided that would use sliding doors to control the discharge of material. It would also be desirable if such an apparatus and method for a material control device could be provided that would not reduce ground clearance and be susceptible to damage. It would be further desirable if such an apparatus and method for a material control device could be provided that would open and close the material discharge doors from the center of the door. It would be still further desirable if such an apparatus and method for a material control device could be provided that would have material discharge doors that do not tend to undesirably bend, flex, or warp over time, fail to fully close, and fail to smoothly move between the open and closed positions. In addition, it would be desirable if such an apparatus and method for a material control device could be provided that would not be manually operated. It would also be desirable if such an apparatus and method for a material control device could be provided that would not require the operator to adjust the material discharge doors while also controlling other functions such as steering a paver and controlling the speed of the paver. Further, it would be desirable if such an apparatus and method for a material control device could be provided that would minimize or eliminate human error. Still further, it would be desirable if such an apparatus and method could be provided that would automatically control, adjust, or meter the rate of discharge of material.
In addition, it would be desirable if such an apparatus and device for a material control device could be provided that would be adapted to be opened and closed at any time and not compact or pinch the material to be discharged when the door is closed. It would also be desirable is such an apparatus and method for a material control device could be provided that would not be slow and unresponsive or expose its actuators to the material to be discharged.